Blinded
by T.Kristen
Summary: Having gone their separate ways when younger, Gajeel and Levy have practically forgotten about each other save for the bitter taste that comes up when they're reminded of the other. However, when senior week comes up and Levy is dragged along by her friends to go down the shore, will an untimely meeting make her dreams


Hey! T.K. here :) I'd like to say this is actually my first fanfiction where I incorporate the canon characters into a story, so please bear with me as I adjust to the characters. This fanfic is actually written and dedicated to one of my best friends, Dvel732732. With the help of a mutual friend of ours, this fic will hopefully be horribly heart wrenching and painful, but cute, of course, haha.  
>Love you all, and hope you enjoy this Gajevy fic c: Feedback is always appreciated~<p>

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><p><span><strong>So . . . Senior week?<strong>

"It'll be fuuuun! Testing's over, you haven't been absent all year! It's the _least_ you could do for yourself," an excitable blonde babbled on as she sifted through her drawers. She hummed a little tune to herself as she thought, and once she turned, with at least three different bikini pairs clamped between her hands, she beamed. "Please, Levy?"

"I don't know, Lucy," the other girl sighed. The very air around her felt tense and restless, but at the same time, bored. It was like having nothing to study for left her at a loss of what to do. And being it was the beginning of June, and there were no more important tests to take, Levy could start to relax. School, now, was practically a joke. And she had planned to sit in the back of her classes with her nose stuck in a book for the remaining three weeks to distract herself.

Apparently her friends had different plans.

"I don't want to get reprimanded for this, Lucy. I've never been absent . . . It'll be weird." At least her junior and sophomore years she hadn't been. Her freshman year had been a mess, but Levy would digress should she go down that road.

She jumped when her friend dropped her clothes into the small luggage she was packing and let herself plop harshly beside Levy. "Look," she started, placing a hand over Levy's on the bed, "No one's forcing you to come. But we'll miss you if you don't, and anyway, you deserve a little wind-down."

Well . . . She wasn't wrong. But it'd take a lot more than that to convince her she should sacrifice her perfect attendance for some week at some beach where her friends would be getting drunk like no tomorrow. Uhg. It didn't sound fun at all . . .

And it was just a reminder that all of them, minus Lucy, would be graduating that year. Levy would rather not deal with the thought until they were receiving their diplomas.

"I don't know - "

"Oh, come _on_," Lucy sighed, exasperated. "I've already asked my dad for you! He just needs to make another little call and tell the school we're excused. _Please_?"

"Your dad's not even here - "

"He still pays for this apartment! He's _practically_ here," the blonde continued, jumping up to her feet whilst still gripping her friend's hand. "You know Natsu won't take 'no' for an answer!"

Levy couldn't help the pout that came onto her lips, and the feeling of utter despair. How _could_ she say no to Lucy like that? When she had already thought to ask her fath - Wait, no! Of course Daddy Dearest would say yes to her. Of course he'd say yes for Levy, too. She wasn't falling into Lucy's little plea so quickly . . .

"Tell your dad thanks, and I'm really lucky to have him as a second dad and all, and letting me stay here with you - and thank you for that, by the way - but no way in - "

"Levy, stop with the formalities! Seriously," Lucy huffed, tightening her grip on her friend's palm. She leaned in closer with a cocked brow, her smile growing into a smirk. "I'm not letting you say 'no', either, Levy. So I say you give up."

The girl groaned and let herself drop back onto Lucy's bed, only her right hand still held upward by Lucy's fingers. Yeah, sure, _no_ one was forcing her to go. But she kept the wryness out of her voice when she spoke, "_Fiii_ne." Levy sighed with a roll of her eyes before closing them. "You, Natsu, Gray . . . Who else is coming?"

"Cana's coming, Mira . . . Juvia's leaving tonight so she can reconfirm the reservations made, and she's going to meet Freed there," Lucy answered in a beat, dropping Levy's hand only to sit beside her once again. "And Laxus."

_Oh, he's always a joy,_ Levy couldn't help but think, though she slowly exhaled her short-lived annoyance. Laxus could be okay. Sometimes better company than Natsu's loud and boisterous self. Levy was probably just being bitter about it all, but come tomorrow, she'd be as hyped up as Lucy.

At least she hoped so.

Before she could get another thought through her head, Lucy was up and tugging on Levy to follow. She rambled on about getting her things together and essentially pushed Levy out of her room and shut the door behind her. The blue-haired girl could only laugh lightly at her friend's zeal and shook her head.

If she couldn't at least be as excited as her, Levy hoped she could at least be happy for Lucy, and be there for her should anything go wrong in the week that was to follow. In any case, over thinking the future never helped anybody, and if she was going, she might as well get her things together.

As she crossed the narrow corridor into her own room, Levy quietly shut the door behind her and tapped her fingers mindlessly against the door softly. Bathing suits. A couple of dresses. Shorts. A tank top. Sunblock . . . Sunglasses!

Levy shook her head and moved her hands to her head where she nudged her short locks out of the way so she could undo the knot of her headband. She supposed she fancied the idea. She wanted to go. But she hadn't really gone anywhere without 'official' adult supervision. And she knew she could trust her friends, but . . . it _was_ senior week.

Heaving yet another deep sigh, the young girl's shoulders shuddered and she flicked the light switch on. Maybe Levy was just kind of scared. Letting that idea sink in, she ran a hand through her hair, but allowed the chaotic mess of blue waves to fall onto the edges of her face and back down to her shoulders. _It'll all be fine._

Putting on a smile to distract herself, she stepped forward into her room and stopped acting like a stranger to herself. Phone whipped out of her bag and connected to the speakers on top of her dresser, Levy turned up the volume to her music. With the piano melody practically blasting behind her in some upbeat tune, the girl - with an added hop to her step - started packing.

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><p><strong>*.*.*<strong>

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><p>The short man looked up at her expectantly, as if he knew she had something else to say. The truth was, however, Levy had told him all she thought was needed, and now all she could do was wait. Surely Mr. Makarov could see that?<p>

With an inaudible intake of air, the young girl bit her bottom lip nervously as she tried for a calm smile, but her fingers still found themselves linked together behind her, fiddling with themselves. "Levy McGarden." Her ears perked up and she stood straighter than she ever had before with her heart almost visibly skipping a beat. But nothing. Just another thoughtful stare with those half-opened eyes of his.

If Levy wasn't already used to this, she would have sputtered out, aggravated, and stormed out of his office. She wouldn't dare do that, though. Instead, upon his beckoning, Levy took a seat just beside the older man and leaned in intently, curious as to what he would say. She pursed her lips, blinked rapidly, and picked at the fabric of her sundress; Levy even went to curl an unruly strip of hair behind her ear. Mr. Makarov didn't say anything.

"Sir, if - "

"You absolutely sure you're ready to go?"

The teen's mouth gaped to speak but only remained hung open. Was she sure? . . Well, no, but she was there, wasn't she? Lucy's father had already called to excuse her, she was already all beach-ready and mentally prepared to face her crazy and upbeat friends with a quick rhythm of her own.

And as mindful as her guidance counselor usually was, Levy would never expect him to question her if she wanted to go or not. Mr. Makarov was always up for a good time, and he was always encouraging her to go on the summer vacations Lucy went on instead of staying in the apartment cleaning and studying and working out. And on one of the less important weeks of school . . . Why would he question her?

Oh gods, her mind was racing. Levy sat up and pressed a finger to her temple whilst closing her mouth back into that lip-biting clench.

"You packed medicine? Water for the ride? Goggles?"

O-oh?

Levy giggled a little, the sound free of any tension as she relaxed. "Yes, sir. I did," she chimed, her worried fidgeting loosening into a sure smile. "Am I free to go?" With a nod of approval, Levy's small grin grew wider and she reached forward to give her guardian-of-sorts a tight hug. "Thank you, sir! I'll call if anything, okay?"

"Place is always open, and you have my number. Feel free to call whenever you need me," he reassured before letting go of her and dismissing her out of his concealed cubicle, into the guidance office, and back out into the hall where her group of friends was waiting.

Lucy immediately looped her arms around Levy in a tight hug, then whipped around whilst keeping the girl close. "Laxus," she started, pointing at the taller blonde, "You got one car, and Cana, you've got the other?"

Both of them threw a thumbs-up, which caused Levy to smile softly to herself. "Now where the hell are Natsu and Gray?" She looked at Lucy beside her and pursed her lips. The girl was always so outspoken and sometimes harsh when she mentioned those two, it's like she always wanted to kill them. But Levy knew that wasn't exactly the case.

"They said they wanted to race to the parking lot, and left when you went back for your purse," Mirajane cut into the girl's thoughts, and when she looked over at the platinum blonde teenager, Levy's smile only grew. "They're probably waiting for us." Mira's bell-like laugh made her giggle along with her, suddenly feeling the carefreeness of the older girl. Maybe this was going to be fun after all.

Levy jumped when a heavy hand landed on her neatly groomed hair and as fingers tangled into her wild locks and knocked her headband onto her forehead, she batted the arm away. "Then what are you losers waiting for?" She peeked up through the cloth that fell into her eyes and spotted Laxus tossing one of his signature smirks at the two juniors. Levy huffed and rolled her eyes back at him, trying to fix her hair when Lucy interrupted her hands.

"Grab your bags, Levy!" She let go of her roommate and allowed Levy to step away and shoulder her packs as Lucy grabbed her own. Well, they were less like bags and more like two suitcases.

"I'm assuming you're going with Cana with those huge bags of yours?"

"Mhm! There's more room." Lucy pivoted on her heels and all but ran toward the end of the hall and to the door that led out of the dormitory with Levy close to her heels.

It felt weird going on some long trip with just a bunch of her friends after living in the dorms for so long with one person or another until she met Lucy her sophomore year. She had always been lacking the opportunity or effort, and money. She already lacked the money to pay for the school; she was always borrowing from other people, or didn't eat much to keep from being a burden . . . Makarov took her in, basically, when she couldn't find a generous roommate.

She could have been kicked out on the curb.

Shaking her head, Levy allowed her grin to reappear, but when she realized where she was going, she was crashing into Natsu who had run in their direction. Smothered in an embrace from the muscular boy, Levy couldn't help but laugh and struggle out of his grip with her half-available arms.

"Y-you can let go now!" she insisted, which Natsu complied to, but not without ruffling her hair. "Uhg, I just fixed that."

"Oh, please, it's just hair," the boy dismissed with a wave of his hand. He did, however, stick his hands out to offer help with Levy's bags, and when she gave them to him, Mira motioned for Levy to step into Laxus' fancy and sleek neon yellow car.

Once she was nice and situated into her seat, Mirajane scooted in next to her. "Excited?"

Levy glanced up at her friend and quirked a brow. Was she excited . . ? Of course! At least she was at the moment, but she wasn't about to explain how worried she had been the day before, or even just that morning when she finally decided to go talk to Makarov instead of just leaving. Levy had to be excited at that point because there was no going back now . . . And in any case, she hadn't really gone out in the past five years. Maybe she was just kind of nervous. Who knew?

Disregarding her mish-mash of thoughts, Levy sighed out a refreshing breath and sank back into the seat. As she pulled her seat belt around her, she reassured Mira with an airy, "More than."


End file.
